Vignettes of the World
It took me three attempts to find the beautiful Shek Pan Tam, aka Ka Lung Tam (Ka Lung Pool) in the Nam Chung area of Sha Tau Kok. The potholes of Shek Pan Tam (meaning the stone-slab pool) are the largest such natural phenomenon in …
My original intention this day was to visit the potholes of Shek Pan Tam Pool in Nam Chung, Sha Tau Kok. I guess it would not surprise readers that I lost my way again. All thanks to Google GPS, which gives poor directions for hikers …
This hike to Jardine’s Lookout would be the hike of the year. In fact, it is probably the single most rigorous hike I have ever done.
Part A: The starting point was my friend’s place in Nam Fung Sun Tsuen, taking on Mount Parker Road to reach the Tai Tam Reservoir.
Part B: Then from Tai Tam Reservoir we took the Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, arrived at Hong Kong Parkview for a quick stop for water. We passed by the Quarry Pass Pavilion.
Part C: Even at that point I had no clue how rigorous the upcoming trail would be. The Jardine’s Lookout was a set of steps up nonstop for half an hour.
Part D: Then came the worst last trail: Siu Ma Shan was up and down and up and down for a good hour and more.
Well, that was our itinerary for the day. Now comes the details.
The trail from Nam Fung Sun Tsuen had many steps up and many gradual inclines as well. Since we just started, I did manage to walk side by side with my two other friends, who were in much better shape than I was. The day was slightly overcast, but still during the winter so the weather was not a stress factor. The stress factor, rather, was the people. We went during the early onset of the epidemic, when many people felt that a walk in the countryside would be a safe activity to do. As such, there were cohorts of all ages walking along with us. Then came the difficult question: do we wear masks or not? I did, for this part of the trail, because there were simply too many people in close distance. But hiking with a mask was not nice.
On this part of the trail I was delighted to see war relics. These were wartime stoves during WWII:
See below for explanation.
When we arrived at the Tai Tam Reservoir, the whole hilly area opened up to a scenery of water. The Tai Tam Group of Reservoirs was built between 1883 and 1917. It supplied fresh water to the urban residents of Hong Kong East in the early 20th century. According to the introduction onsite, the most challenging aspect of the Tai Tam Reservoir was the construction of the 6×7 ft pipeline tunnel, which runs through the hard granite of Wong Nai Chung Gap and 7,300 feet in length.
The Tai Tam Reservoir has enabled the development of Victoria City in the East. In fact, it was of such strategic value that this whole area was the site of battle during WWII.[1] Thus explains the wartime stoves that we saw above.
After the reservoirs we went on to stop by Hong Kong Parkview to replenish our water flasks. The next section of the trail would take us up to the Jardine’s Lookout, which also served as an observation post during WWII.
We passed by the memorial plaque for the Winnipeg Grenadiers of Canada, a tribute to the bravery of Major John Osborn. On December 19, 1941, two companies of the Winnipeg Grenadiers of Canada fought against the Japanese Imperial Army, which launched a ferocious attack on the strategic high point of Mount Butler. Company Sergeant Major John Osborn took charge of his company that was driven to Jardine’s Lookout. They fended off the attacks by hurling back the grenades that the Japanese soldier threw at them. Major Osborn did not pick up one in time. After shouting a warning, he laid his own body over this grenade. As a result of his heroic act, several soldiers were saved.
It was a good half-hour of stairs up. I have long trailed behind my friends by now. But I made it up there. The fantastic view at that elevation of eastern Hong Kong made it all worthwhile for us.
Soon enough it was time to head back. This last part of the trail through Siu Ma Shan was steep steps down first and then through some rolling slopes up and down to reach the Mount Butler Viewing Point.
We passed by the stone quarry, and the view was exceptional. There were steep stairs down right before me. The quarry in open view was deep, as if the high mountain had a slice off. My friend, who is a reporter, told me the police tested their newly-acquired tear gas at this very site.
When one reaches the Mount Butler Viewing Point, light is at the end of the tunnel.
This last part of the hike was very demanding for me, to say the least. When I had dinner that evening, I dreaded even walking one flight of stairs up to the restroom.
27,148 steps, 19.1 km walked, and 142 floors climbed.
[1] Discoverhongkong.com, Tai Tam Country Park to Quarry Bay. See also Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Country & Marine Parks, Tai Tam.
Sunday morning greeted us with a bit of a heavy rain. We checked out at 10am, got into the car and drove around looking for breakfast. We came upon a Lavazza Café that was opened on Sunday morning. The family ordered one to two each …
The house was bustling in the morning as the children woke up to a new day. I woke up tired because I researched late into the night for restaurants to visit in Turin. My cousin requested Michelin restaurants. The family enjoys stately meals when they …
The idea was simple. Let’s bring art into a traditional community by drawing and painting murals.
And the results were astounding.
Miss Kwok Yin-ming teaches visual arts at a secondary school. She wanted to bring love into the community by gathering students and volunteers to paint colorful murals on the walls of Kam Tin. Kam Tin, before this community initiative, was known for its traditional villages, many of which are walled. Kat Hing Wai is one such village. The color of the villages was the preeminent gray of the blue bricked walls, aged to a near-ebony. And Miss Kwok’s initiative would bring it to life with bright colors and exceptional artistry.
Any simple idea that requires the use of privately-owned space would turn out to be not so simple. When Miss Kwok began the project, she knocked door-to-door to seek approval by the residents. She was expecting harsh rejection. What she did not prepare for was the overwhelming support from the residents of Kam Tin. Many of them lived the traditional village life that respected hierarchy, order and communal consensus. The village heads of Kat Hing Wai and Wing Lung Wai received Miss Kwok warmly. And the word spread. The villagers began gathering signatures in support of Miss Kwok. They also obtained the consensus of property owners, and handed Miss Kowk a signed agreement. The positive response went beyond what Miss Kwok could ever hope for.
With each mural there is a design. Miss Kwok would draw out the plan of the mural and seek the approval of the property owner first, before work could begin. Meanwhile, besides her enthusiastic students, Miss Kwok also garnered the support of volunteers, some of whom are artists. Finally, she obtained sponsorship by the paint-maker Dulux, and with that put up mural after mural all over Kam Tin.
Beginning in 2017, Miss Kowk led her students and the volunteers every weekend and on each public holiday to paint. As they worked, and sometimes it entailed climbing up the ladders, they earned the approval of more and more residents in Kam Tin. People would stop by to marvel at the beauty of their work and their passion.
By now, in 2020, more than twenty-six paintings spanning across all of the Kam Tin area are up. During my visit, I walked and walked with the map that the group posted on its Facebook page but still did not manage to see all of them.
The murals have an incredible variety. Some are artistic, as imitations of famous paintings. Some are original, with abstract images. Others are cultural, with reference to common forms in Chinese culture. Still some are cartoons, turning common businesses into fun images. Finally, many are celebratory. By drawing on the heritage of Kam Tin, the murals turn it into spirited, communal and colorful expressions of pride and joy.
Visitors would not miss the thoughtfulness with which Miss Kwok’s group has extended on each painting. The murals on the outer walls of businesses meet the nature of the business. The murals on the walled villages feature cultural messages. The painting of a senior’s hospice features hundreds of hearts spread all over the walls onto the ground.
I was bedazzled as I went through these murals. The creativity was explosive and thought-provoking. What observers are able to see right away, is the passion, the respect, the group work and the community support required to make this possible.
With this successful beginning, Miss Kwok has received requests by other communities in Yuen Long to do the same. I look forward to seeing more of these. The initiative has really enlivened Kam Tin. And for this reason alone I would visit again, perhaps to hunt down all other murals that I did not see this time.
Sources:
Facebook page: Kam Tin Mural.
Tsang Lin, Contribute Love in the Community: The Story of Kam Tin Mural Village, Epoch Times, June 27, 2018.
Chan Lok Hay, Teacher Brings Love to the Community in Kam Tin Mural Village, HK01, April 26, 2018.
We rose early to visit the Duy Phu village at My Son Valley. My Son, in Vietnamese, means “beautiful mountain.” In this part of Vietnam, the celebrated ancient culture is that of the Champa people. Now considered an ethnic minority (one of the 55), the …
God might have been with me on Monday, but certainly not on Tuesday. There was intermittent rain when we had breakfast. We liked the crisp baguette yesterday, so this time we ditched the eggs and requested Vietnamese ham instead. Our driver kept us wait a …
Spring is here in Hong Kong and I seize every chance I can to hike, for when summer comes it will be too hot to do so. This day I chose the Lau Shui Heung Country Trail in Fanling, in northern New Territories.
Lau Shui Heung is a poetic name. In Chinese it means the sound of flowing water.
Once arriving at the Lau Shui Heung Reservoir, I saw two openings of the trail. I knew then that I was at the starting and ending point of the loop. The opening on the left showed a massive set of stairs up, so naturally I picked the one on the right.
Readers would, as I did, expect lots of water scenes on the trail, and normally it was a scenery of waters. However, after a rather dry winter, the Lau Shui Heung Reservoir dried up completely. As in, people could walk upon the reservoir itself, with no mud on the shoes.
The streams that would have made the music of water was flowing at a shallow ebb. Yet it would not take much imagination to picture the beauty of which it was capable. I passed by a few bridges.
The Lung Shan Bridge (Dragon Mountain Bridge) was once named Cheuk Shan Bridge (Bird Mountain Bridge). Villagers renamed it as Dragon Mountain for good luck.
This area was full of shades, the lush foliage was a pleasing sight.
After about a 45-minute stroll on this part of the trail, I then arrived at the crossroads. The signs showed Cloudy Hill, and to complete the loop of Lau Shui Heung Country Trail, one would have to pick Cloudy Hill then Kat Tsai Shan Au. Kat Tsai Shan in Chinese means Mandarin Orange Mountain. It acquired this name because there used to be an abundance of mandarin oranges in this area. Production ceased however, after WWII. While there were once villages in this area, it is now deserted.
Before I headed off, the two experienced hikers that showed me the way said, “are you sure about that? It is very steep up that trail.”
I was sure about that when I started, but as I hiked up the very steep incline I did wonder how I would find the strength to complete it.
This part of the trail was steep, and a never-ending meander. This would be the reason why Kat Tsai Shan was once a military lookout. Its height enabled views of the city as I walked up. Despite being rigorous, the road was concrete all the way up, and that was also for military purpose, in allowing supply logistics. As such, it was easy on the feet.
Perhaps after about another 45 minutes, I made it to the Gazebo.
From then on, it was an easy descent on steps for another hour or so. I sprained my ankle on the way, but thankfully I could complete the trail. On the way down there was another detour to the Hok Tau Reservoir. Both the Lau Shui Heung Reservoir and the Hok Tau Reservoir are fresh water reserves for the irrigation of nearby fields in northern New Territories. I decided against visiting the Hok Tau Reservoir, for I did not think my ankle would hold up.
I finally made it back to the starting point of the trail. If I were to do this trail again, I probably would still opt for the Kat Tsai Shan incline. To go on the other direction would be 45 minutes of upward steps and it would be hard on the knees.
When I was young, my grandmother would bring me fruits of the Chinse wampi. “It’s from Tsung Pak Long,” she would say. The sourness of this fruit left a bitter impression. As such, since a young age I have learned not to eat it. But …